Beverly Hills Doctor Uses Human "Lipo-diesel" to Power His SUV

Dr. Alan Bittner, a Beverly Hills doctor who specialized only in liposuction, has been converting the leftover liposuctioned human fat of his patients into biodiesel.

Although this type of fat-recycling may at first seem like a somewhat morbid but environmentally-friendly practice, it's illegal in California to use human medical waste to power vehicles.

According to Forbes.com, Dr. Bittner has been using the fat to power both his Ford SUV and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator. He said on the now defunct lipodiesel.com that "the vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel--and I have more fat than I can use. Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly but they get to take part in saving the Earth."

Bittner has advertised aggressively across the nation for patients to travel to Beverly Hills specifically for liposuction, including full page spreads in Texas Monthly, the Continental Airlines in-flight magazine, and others.

Dr. Bittner is now under investigation by the California public health department. Several lawsuits also allege that Bittner allowed his assistant and his girlfriend to perform liposuction without a medical license, removing too much fat and leaving patients disfigured.

His website says in a letter to his patients that he has moved "to South America to volunteer with a small clinic where [he] can help those most in need."